Recording and/or reproducing apparatus for a cartridge accomodating a recording medium and an eject mechanism thereof

ABSTRACT

An eject mechanism of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a cartridge accommodating a recording medium, such as a disc cartridge includes a cartridge holder, an eject lever and a lock mechanism. The cartridge, which holder is attached to a base member so as to become rotatable between a first position and a second position lower than the first position. The cartridge holder loads and holds the cartridge inserted therein. The eject lever is attached to the cartridge holder so that it can be freely moved. The eject lever is engaged with the cartridge inserted into the cartridge holder and moved in unison with the inserted cartridge. The lock mechanism restricts the eject lever from moving in a disc cartridge eject direction under the condition that insertion of the cartridge into the cartridge holder is finished and releases a restricted movement of the eject lever in the disc cartridge eject direction when the cartridge holder is rotated from the second position to the first position.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a recording and/or reproducingapparatus using a cartridge in which a recording medium is accommodatedand an eject mechanism thereof. More particularly, this inventionrelates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a cartridgeaccommodating a recording medium having a holder for holding an insertedcartridge and an eject mechanism thereof.

2. Background of the Invention

Disc players having a disc cartridge in which an optical disc isaccommodated as a recording medium, for example, loaded thereon toreproduce and/or record the disc are roughly classified as two kinds ofsystem, i.e., one system in which a disc player body has an openable andclosable lid through which a disc cartridge is loaded and/or ejected,and another system called a front loading system in which a disccartridge is loaded onto and/or ejected from an insertion mouth formedon the front wall of the disc player body.

Of the various types of disc players, small portable and thin discplayers adopt the former system to load and/or eject the disc cartridgeby opening and/or closing the openable and closable lid in order tosimplify its mechanism.

If the portable disc players of the above-mentioned systems are designedso as to eject the disc cartridge, then it becomes very convenient forthe user to take the disc cartridge from the disc player body with ease.However, the portable disc players are too small to afford a sufficientspace in which the eject mechanism is provided. On the other hand, thedisc players of front loading systems are adapted to eject the disccartridge by electric driving power. Such front loading systems,however, cannot be applied to the portable disc players.

For this reason, it is not easy for the user to eject the disc cartridgefrom the portable disc player and the portable disc players are not easyto handle.

SUMMARY OF TEE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an ejectmechanism of a cartridge having a recording medium accommodated thereinin which the above-mentioned problems can be solved.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a recordingand/or reproducing apparatus using a cartridge accommodating therein arecording medium in which the above-mentioned problems can be solved.

According to the present invention, there is provided an eject mechanismof a cartridge accommodating therein a recording medium which includes acartridge holder, an eject operation member and a lock mechanism. Thecartridge holder is attached to a base member so as to become rotatablebetween a first position and a second position lower than the firstposition. The cartridge holder loads the cartridge and holds theinserted cartridge. The eject operation member is attached to thecartridge holder so that it can be freely moved. The eject operationmember is engaged with the cartridge inserted into the cartridge holderand moved in unison with the inserted cartridge. The lock mechanismrestricts the eject operation member from moving in a disc cartridgeeject direction when insertion of the cartridge into the cartridgeholder is finished. The lock mechanism releases a restricted movement ofthe eject operation member in the disc cartridge eject direction whenthe cartridge holder is rotated from the second position to the firstposition.

According to the present invention, there is provided a recording and/orreproducing apparatus using a cartridge accommodating therein arecording medium which includes a base member, a cartridge holder, aneject lever and a lock mechanism. The base member includes a recordingmedium with a recording and/or reproducing portion disposed thereon. Thecartridge holder is attached to the base member so as to becomerotatable between a first position and a second position lower than thefirst position. The cartridge holder loads a cartridge and holds thecartridge inserted therein. The cartridge holder includes a major wallportion of substantially square configuration, a pair of side wallportions formed along a pair of opposed sides of the major wall portionand a pair of holding portions projected from the pair of side wallportions into the cartridge holder so as to become parallel to the majorwall portion and to hold the cartridge inserted thereto. The eject leveris engaged with the cartridge inserted into the cartridge holder andmoved in unison with the inserted cartridge. The lock mechanismrestricts the eject lever from moving in a disc cartridge ejectdirection when insertion of the cartridge into the cartridge holder isfinished, and releases a restricted movement of the eject lever in thedisc cartridge eject direction when the cartridge holder is rotated fromthe second position to the first position. The eject lever is attachedto one of the pair of side wall portions of the cartridge holder suchthat the eject lever can freely be moved along the direction in whichthe cartridge is inserted into, and ejected from, the cartridge holder.The lock mechanism is disposed on one of the pair of side wall portionsalong a side wall to which the eject lever is attached.

According to the present invention, since the eject mechanism for thecartridge in which the recording medium is accommodated can besimplified in structure, it is possible to make the eject mechanismsmall and thin. Also, it is possible to make the recording and/orreproducing apparatus using the above-mentioned eject mechanism smalland thin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disc player according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the disc player according tothe embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a chassis and a disc drivemechanism portion of the disc player according to the embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the chassis and a battery caseportion of the disc player according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a battery lid and a pivotportion of an upper lid of the disc player according to the embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view, partly in cross-sectional form, of the batterylid of the disc player according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the pivot portion of the battery lid of thedisc player according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a panel frame portion in whichoperation buttons are disposed;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the panel frame portionin which the operation buttons are disposed;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the rear surface of the upper lidof the disc player according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the disc drive mechanism portion of thedisc player according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of an eject mechanism portion ofthe disc player according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a diagram used to explain the engagement between anengagement tab of an eject lever of the eject mechanism and a concaveportion of the disc cartridge;

FIG. 14 is a side view used to explain the operation of the ejectmechanism and illustrating the state where the disc cartridge is not yetinserted into the cartridge holder;

FIG. 15 is a side view used to explain the operation of the ejectmechanism and illustrating the state where the disc cartridge isinserted into the cartridge holder;

FIG. 16 is a side view used to explain the operation of the ejectmechanism and illustrating the state where the disc cartridge is loadedonto a predetermined loading portion; and

FIG. 17 is a side view used to explain the operation of the ejectmechanism and illustrating the state where the disc cartridge wasejected from the cartridge holder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A recording and/or reproducing apparatus using a cartridge accommodatingtherein a recording medium and an eject mechanism thereof according tothe present invention will hereinafter be described with reference tothe drawings. In the following embodiment, the case where an opticaldisc is used as a recording medium and a disc cartridge is used as acartridge will be described.

FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view showing anouter face of a disc player 1 which will be described below as arecording and/or reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment ofthe present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a magneto-optical disc oroptical disc 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as a disc) having adiameter of approximately 64 mm that is loaded on the disc player 1 isaccommodated within a cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a disccartridge) 101 made of a plastic material so the disk 100 is rotatable.A signal, i.e., a signal representing a piece of music or the like, isalready recorded on the optical disc 100. The disc cartridge 101 inwhich the disc 100 is accommodated is loaded onto the disc player 1 andthereby the disc 100 is reproduced.

This disc player 1 is made smaller and thinner as compared with discplayers of the same kind because the disc player 1 is designed with agreat stress on portability. The disc player 1 is of a ultra-thin typeand has a thickness of 18.5 mm.

The structure that allows the disc player 1 to become small and thinwill be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

In FIGS. 2 to 4, reference numeral 2 designates a main chassis(hereinafter simply referred to as a chassis) which serves as afundamental framework of the disc player 1. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,the chassis 2 is of a frame which comprises four side wall portions,i.e., a left side wall portion 2a, a rear side wall portion 2b, a rightside wall portion 2c and a front side wall portion 2d, each composed ofa thin sheet metal.

The left side wall portion 2a, the rear side wall portion 2b, and theright side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2 are formed by bending asheet metal in a U-shaped fashion to which a sheet metal forming thefront side wall portion 2d is fixed, thereby forming the frame-shapedchassis 2 having four walls.

A disc drive mechanism portion 40 on which the disc cartridge 101 isloaded is accommodated within the chassis 2. The disc drive mechanismportion 40 will be described more fully later on.

A circuit board 3, on which a disc drive circuit and a signalreproducing circuit (not shown) is attached to the lower surface of thechassis 2 by screws.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a battery case which houses a battery 6 as apower supply of the disc player 1. The battery case 5 is made of a rigidmaterial molded by zinc die casting, for example. The battery case 5 isattached to the right side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2.

A structure in which the battery case 5 and the chassis 2 are secured toeach other will be described more in detail with reference to FIG. 4.Projected portions 2c1, 2c2 are projected from the upper edge of theright side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2. On the other hand,vertically elongated engagement apertures 7a, 7b are formed on the sidewall of the battery case 5 in association with the projected portions2c1, 2c2. The projected portions 2c1, 2c2 of the chassis 2 are upwardlyengaged into the engagement apertures 7a, 7b. Then, the right side wallportion 2c of the chassis 2 and the battery case 5 are fastened togetherby screws 8 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which theprojected portions 2c1, 2c2 are engaged into the engagement apertures7a, 7b.

Because the battery case 5 is made of a rigid material and is fixed tothe right side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2 which is formed as aframe by bending the thin sheet metal, strength of the chassis 2 can beconsiderably increased as compared with the case that the chassis 2 isnot provided with the battery case 5.

The battery 6 that is accommodated into the battery case 5 as theoperation power supply is an exclusively-prepared battery ofrechargeable type. The disc drive mechanism portion 40 and electroniccircuits on the circuit board 3 are energized by contacting electrodes6a, 6b formed on one end face of the battery terminals 9a, 9b of aninput base plate 9 disposed within the battery case 5.

An opening portion of the battery case 5 through which the battery 6 isloaded or unloaded is opened and/or closed by a battery lid 10 which ispivotally supported to the chassis 2 in the horizontal direction. Astructure of the battery lid 10 will be described later on.

The chassis 2, whose strength is increased by fixing the battery case 5made of the rigid material thereto, is covered with a lower lid 11, anupper lid 12 and a panel frame 13 that forms the housing of the discplayer 1.

The lower lid 11 is made of an aluminum plate and is of such a size asto cover the lower surface of the chassis 2 to the lower surface of thebattery case 5. The lower lid 11 is fixed to the chassis 2 and thebattery case 5 by screws 14.

The chassis 2 includes on its rear portion a pivotally supported pair ofarms 15a, 15b each made of a sheet metal so that the pair of arms 15a,15b can be rotated in the vertical direction (upper and lowerdirection). The upper lid 12 that is formed of the aluminum plate so asto cover the upper surface of the chassis 2 is secured to the pair ofarms 15a, 15b by screws 16. Specifically, the upper lid 12 can berotated in the upper and lower direction relative to the chassis 2 andarranged as an openable and/or closable lid which opens and/or closesthe disc cartridge loading portion of the disc drive mechanism portion40.

The panel frame 13 disposed between the lower lid 11 and the upper lid12 is a U-shaped frame made of a hard plastic material so that the panelframe 13 can be extended along the left side wall portion 2a, the rearside wall portion 2b and the front side wall portion 2d of the chassis2. The panel frame 13 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of thechassis 2 by screws 17.

The panel frame 13 includes, at its central wall portion facing to theleft side wall portion 2a of the chassis 2, a variety of operationbuttons 18, i.e., six kinds of operation buttons, such as PLAY, FASTFORWARD, REVERSE, PAUSE, STOP and VOLUME ADJUSTMENT of the disc player.Operation of the disc player is switched and the volume is adjusted bydepressing touch-sensitive switches 19a fixed to the left side wallportion 2a of the chassis 2 with the respective operation buttons 18.

As described above, in the disc player 1 according to this embodiment,strength of the chassis 2 is increased by fixing the battery case 5 madeof the rigid material to the frame-shaped chassis 2 made of the thinsheet metal. Further, the lower lid 11 made of aluminum is fixed acrossthe chassis 2 and the battery case 5, and the upper lid 12 made ofaluminum is attached to the upper surface of the chassis 2. Furthermore,the panel frame 13 made of the hard plastic material is fixed to theouter peripheral surface of the chassis 2. Consequently, according tothe present invention, it is possible to construct the disc player whichcan generally be made small, thin and light and whose strength can bemade sufficient in actual practice.

The structure according to this embodiment uses special structures forthe pivot portion of the battery lid 10 that opens and/or closes thebattery case 5 and the pivot portion of the upper lid 12 that opensand/or closes the disc loading portion in order to miniaturize the discplayer.

These structure portions will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the battery lid 10 comprises a rotating plate 10apivotally supported to the chassis 2 so as to open and/or close theopening portion of the battery case 5 and a lid body 10b attached to therotating plate 10a so as to become slidable along the surface directionof the rotating plate 10a in a predetermined range.

The lid body 10b includes an engagement protrusion 21 formed at the tipend portion thereof. On the other hand, the battery case 5 includes atits opening edge an engagement aperture 22 as shown in FIG. 6. Thebattery lid 10 closes the opening portion of the battery case 5 underthe condition that the lid body 10b is moved to the free end portionside of the rotating plate 10a. Then, the battery lid 10 is locked byengaging the engagement protrusion 21 with the engagement aperture 22after the lid body 10b was moved to the base end portion side of therotating plate 10a from this state.

The pivot portion of the thus arranged battery lid 10 relative to thechassis 2 is provided at substantially the same portion as one pivotportion of the upper lid 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, first bearing portions 23a, 23b to which the batterylid 10 is pivotally supported are symmetrically formed on upper andlower edges of the right side wall portion 2c near the bent portionbetween the rear side wall portion 2b and the right side wall portion 2cof the chassis 2. A second bearing portion 25 that pivotally supportsthe right arm 15b to which the upper lid 12 is attached is formedbetween the upper and lower first bearing portions 23a and 23b.

Each of the first bearing portions 23a, 23b that pivotally supports thebattery lid 10 is projected as a U-shaped member in which the baseportion is erected vertically and the tip end portion is inwardly bentin the horizontal direction. In association therewith, upper and lowerprojected portions 10a1, 10a2 projected on the base end portion of therotating plate 10a of the battery lid 10 include supporting shafts 24a,24b projected therefrom in an opposing relation. The upper and lowersupporting shafts 24a, 24b can be assembled with ease when the upper andlower supporting shafts 24a, 24b are inserted into and engaged with thefirst bearing portions 23a, 23b from the lateral direction.

In this structure, flange portions 24a1, 24b1 are respectively formed onthe base portions of the supporting shafts 24a, 24b. When the batterycase 5 is fixed to the right side wall portion 2c of the chassis 2 afterthe supporting shafts 24a, 24b are engaged with the first bearingportions 23a, 23b, the flange portions 24a1, 24b1 are brought in contactwith one portion of the battery case 5. Thus, the battery lid 10 can beassembled accurately without wobbling under the condition that thesupporting shafts 24a, 24b are prevented from being disengaged from thefirst bearing portions 23a, 23b (see FIG. 7).

The second bearing portion 25 that pivotally supports the arm 15b towhich the upper lid 12 is attached is projected in an erected tabfashion between the first bearing portions 23a and 23b in the directionperpendicular to the first bearing portions 23a, 23b. The arm 15b ispivotally supported by a caulking pin 26 to the second bearing portion25 so that the arm 15b can be rotated in the vertical direction.

According to the above-mentioned structure, the pivot portions of thebattery lid 10 and the upper lid 11 have different rotating directionsthus being efficiently disposed on the chassis 2 so space caneffectively be used, thereby the disc player being miniaturizedadvantageously.

Further, in the disc player 1 according to this embodiment, there isconsidered a structure that the portions in which the operation buttons18 are disposed on the panel frame 13 can maintain sufficient strength.

The structure of the panel frame 13 will be described with reference toFIGS. 8 and 9.

As illustrated, the panel frame 13 includes concave portions 27corresponding to the operation buttons 18. The operation buttons 18 areproperly disposed in the concave portion 27.

Each operation button 18 includes on its rear surface two kinds of pins28, 29. The pins 28, 29 are faced to the inner surface of the panelframe 13 via through-holes 30, 31 bored on the bottom portion of theconcave portion 27. Of the two kinds of pins 28, 29, pin 28 is opposedto the touch-sensitive switch 19a of the switch base plate 19 fixed tothe left side wall portion 2a of the chassis 2. Pin 29 is coupled to aplate spring 32 fixed to the inner side surface of the panel frame 13.

As shown in FIG. 8, the plate spring 32 includes flexible portions 32aformed by predetermined slits in accordance with the respectiveoperation buttons 18. The pin 29 of each operation button 18 isconnected and fixed to the flexible portion 32a by melt-bondingcaulking. Each operation button 18 is urged to return to the originalstate under spring force of the flexible portion 32a of the plate spring32. Also, the pin 28 is brought in contact with the touch-sensitiveswitch 19a via a through-hole 32b bored through the plate spring 32.

When the operation button 18 is depressed against the spring force ofthe plate spring 32, the touch-sensitive switch 19a corresponding to theoperation button 18 is energized and various operations of the disc,i.e., PLAY, FAST FORWARD, REVERSE, PAUSE, STOP are switched or volume isadjusted by VOLUME ADJUSTMENT.

With the above-mentioned arrangement, the panel frame 13 according tothis embodiment can maintain sufficient strength as compared with theattachment structure of the ordinary operation button 18.

Specifically, in the ordinary structure, the panel frame 13 includes thethrough-holes through which the operation buttons 18 are entered.According to the embodiment of the present invention, since the strengthof the panel frame 13 is considerably lowered at the lightening holeportions formed by the through-holes, the concave portion 27 is used asthe disposed portion in which the operation buttons 18 are disposed onthe panel frame 13, i.e., the fundamental important portions of thepanel frame 13 are maintained, thereby making it possible to avoid thestrength of the panel frame 13 from being lowered.

The strength of the panel frame 13 is sufficiently maintained, which canconsiderably contribute to the increase of the strength of the discplayer 1 on the whole.

An arrangement of the disc drive mechanism portion 40 that isaccommodated in the chassis 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.3 and 11.

In FIGS. 3 and 11, reference numeral 41 depicts a mechanical chassiswhich serves as a base plate of the disc drive mechanism portion 40. Themechanical chassis 41 is supported by supporting members 2e projectedfrom the inner surface side of the chassis 2 at a plurality of positionsin the horizontal direction through a damping mechanism in a floatingstate. The damping mechanism is composed of a rubber damper 42 and acoil spring 43.

On the mechanical chassis 41 are disposed a turntable 44 on which thedisc 100 is held and which is rotated by a spindle motor (not shown) andan optical pickup (not shown) for reading a signal from the disc 100.Reference numeral 45 depicts a positioning pin projected on themechanical chassis 41. While only one positioning pin 45 is illustrated,there are provided a pair of positioning pins 45 in actual practice.

The mechanical chassis 41 includes at its bearing portion 46 formed atthe rear end thereof a cartridge holder 47 for holding the disccartridge 101 pivotally supported in the upper and lower direction.

The cartridge holder 47 comprises an upper surface plate portion 47a,two side plate portions 47b, 47c downwardly bent from the left and rightsides of the upper surface plate portion 47a at a right angle, and lowersupporting plate portions 47d, 47e projected from the inner lower endsof the two side plate portions 47b, 47c at a right angle which areintegrally formed. The disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridgeholder 47 under the condition that the cartridge holder 47 is rotatedwith a predetermined angle relative to the mechanical chassis 41. Then,the cartridge holder 47 is downwardly rotated so as to overlap themechanical chassis 41 from the above-mentioned state, whereby the disccartridge 101 is loaded on the mechanical chassis 41 at itspredetermined loading position. Specifically, at the same time when thedisc cartridge 101 is properly positioned by engaging referenceapertures formed on the lower surface of the disc cartridge 101 with thepositioning pins 45, the disc 100 is held at its central portion exposedto the lower surface side of the disc cartridge 101 on the turntable 44.

The cartridge holder 47 includes on its right side plate portion 47c ashutter releasing member 80 projected to the inner portion of thecartridge holder 47 to release as slide shutter 102.

The cartridge holder 47 includes, on the outer surface side of the rightside plate portion 47c thereof, a shutter closing lid member 48. Theshutter closing lid member 48 is formed of a sheet metal, and a convexportion 48a of the shutter closing lid member 48 is projected to theinner portion of the cartridge holder 47 via a through-hole 49 of theright side plate portion 47c of the cartridge holder 47.

When the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47,the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47 whilethe shutter 102 slides at its side surface along the convex portion 48aof the shutter closing lid member 48. When the disc cartridge 101 isinserted into the cartridge holder 47 up to its predetermined position,the convex portion 48a is engaged with the engagement aperture 102a ofthe shutter 102 and the shutter releasing member 80 is inserted into agroove formed on one side surface of the disc cartridge 101 and isthereby brought in contact with a shutter locking member (not shown)provided within the disc cartridge 101. Thus, the shutter releasingmember 80 releases the shutter 102 from being locked by the shutterlocking member and is brought in contact with the shutter 102. As aconsequence, in accordance with the insertion of the disc cartridge 101,the shutter 102 is moved by the shutter releasing member 80 to expose apart of the disc 100 from the opening portion formed on the lowersurface of the disc cartridge 101. Thus, a part of the disc 100 isopposed to an optical pickup (not shown).

When the disc cartridge 101 is ejected from the cartridge holder 47,owing to the action of the shutter closing lid member 48 engaged withthe engagement aperture 102a of the shutter 102 when the disc cartridge101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47, the shutter 102 is closedas the disc cartridge 101 is ejected.

Although the rotation supporting point of the cartridge holder 47 andthe rotation supporting point of the upper lid 12 are set at slightlydisplaced positions in the disc player 1 according to this embodiment,the cartridge holder 47 is rotated in unison with the opening and/orclosing operation of the upper lid 12.

Specifically, the cartridge holder 47 includes projected portions 47b1,47c1 projected from left and right side plate portions 47b, 47c in thehorizontal direction. The left and right arms 15a, 15b to which theupper lid 12 is fixed include projected portions 15a1, 15b1 inwardlyprojected in the horizontal direction. The projected portions 15a1, 15b1are opposed to the lower portions of the projected portions 47b1, 47c1of the cartridge holder 47. When the upper lid 12 is opened, theprojected portions 15a1, 15b1 of the arms 15a, 15b come in contact withthe projected portions 47b1, 47c1 of the cartridge holder 47 to elevatethe projected portions 47b1, 47c1. As a consequence, the cartridgeholder 47 is rotated in the upper direction following the upper lid 12.Maximum opening angles of the upper lid 12 and the cartridge holder 47are set to 25° and 20°, respectively.

The upper lid 12 includes left and right plate spring members 50, 51fixed to its rear surface as shown in FIG. 10. The plate spring members50, 51 include resilient projection portions 50a, 50b and 51a, 51bprojected therefrom in the front and back direction. The right platespring member 51 includes a resilient projection portion 51c projectedat its central portion.

Any of the resilient projection portions 50a, 50b, 51a, 51b is bent withan inclination so that it is floated from the inner surface of the upperlid 12. When the upper lid 12 is closed, the resilient projectionportion 51c of the right plate spring member 51 comes in contact withthe upper surface plate portion 47a of the cartridge holder 47 to pushthe cartridge holder 47 in the lower direction. As a consequence, thecartridge holder 47 is rotated in the lower direction following theupper lid 12.

When the upper lid 12 is closed completely, the central resilientprojection portion 51c of the right plate spring member 51 urges thecartridge holder 47 toward the mechanical chassis 41 side and theresilient projection portions 50a, 50b and 51a, 51b of the two platespring members 50, 51 urge the disc cartridge 101 toward the mechanicalchassis 41. Thus, the disc cartridge 101 can be reliably loaded onto thedisc cartridge loading portion on the mechanical chassis 41 withoutwobbling.

The front resilient projection portions 50a, 51a of the plate springmembers 50, 51 are brought in contact with the disc cartridge 101 infront of the cartridge holder 47. On the other hand, the rear resilientprojected portions 50b, 51b are brought in contact with the disccartridge 101 through left and right through-holes 52a, 52b boredthrough the upper surface plate portion 47a of the cartridge holder 47.

The upper lid 12 is locked by a lock mechanism under the condition thatit is closed completely, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4. The lock mechanismcomprises a hook-shaped lock member 53 provided on the center of thefront side wall portion 2d of the chassis 2 and an engagement plate 54fixed to the inner surface side of the front end of the upper lid 12 inresponse to the lock member 53. When the upper lid 12 is closedcompletely, the upper lid 12 is locked by engaging an engagement concaveportion 54a (see FIG. 10) of the engagement plate 54 with the lockmember 53.

When the upper lid 12 is released from the locked state, it is possibleto open the upper lid 12 by sliding a lock release operation member 55(see FIGS. 1-2) provided in the panel frame 13 to disengage the lockmember 53 from the engagement plate 54.

When the upper lid 12 is released from the locked state and the upperlid 12 is opened, if the disc cartridge 101 is loaded in the cartridgeholder 47, then the disc cartridge 101 is ejected from the cartridgeholder 47.

An arrangement of an eject mechanism of this disc cartridge 101 will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 12.

As shown in FIG. 12, the cartridge holder 47 includes on its right sideplate portion 47c unitarily formed a supporting plate portion 57projected from the lower end to the horizontal direction. The supportingplate portion 57 includes an eject lever 58 formed of a sheet metalsupported thereto so as to become slidable in the front and reardirection, i.e., in the same direction as the direction in which thedisc cartridge 101 is loaded and/or ejected from the cartridge holder

The eject lever 58 comprises a base plate portion 58a extended along thesupporting plate portion 57 of the cartridge holder 47 and a resilientplate portion 58b and an extended plate portion 58c vertically erectedfrom the front end portion of the base plate portion 58a along the rightside plate portion 47c of the cartridge holder 47 which are integrallyformed. Guide elliptic apertures 59a, 59b formed in the longitudinaldirection of the base plate portion 58a are guided by guide pins 60a,60b fixedly implanted on the supporting plate portion 57 of thecartridge holder 47 so that the eject lever 58 can be slid in apredetermined range in the front and back direction.

The base plate portion 58a of the eject lever 58 includes a spring stopprotrusion 58d projected from the front end thereof. A tension coilspring 61 is extended between the spring stop protrusion 58d and thefront guide pin 60a. The eject lever 58 is constantly biased in theforward direction, i.e., in the eject direction of the disc cartridge101 under the spring force of the tension coil spring 61.

The resilient plate portion 58b of the eject lever 58 includes on itstip end portion formed an engagement tab 62 made of a resin to beengaged with a concave portion 103 formed on the side portion of thedisc cartridge 101. The engagement tab 62 is integrally formed with theeject lever 58 of the sheet metal by outsert molding. The engagement tab62 is opposed to the inside of the cartridge holder 47 via a though-hole63 of a rectangular shape bored through the right side plate portion 47cof the cartridge holder 47. When the disc cartridge 101 is inserted intothe cartridge holder 47, as shown in FIG. 13, the engagement tab 62 isin engagement with the concave portion 103 of the disc cartridge 101,whereby the eject lever 58 is slid in unison with the disc cartridge101.

The engagement tab 62 of the eject lever 58 includes, in particular, anundercut portion 62a as shown in FIG. 13. Specifically, the engagementtab 62 is undercut in concave shape at its root portion in which it isopposed to the concave portion 103 of the disc cartridge 101.

Because the engagement tab 62 has the undercut portion 62a, theengagement tab 62 can be easily engaged with the concave portion 103 ofthe disc cartridge 101 reliably. Therefore, even when the disc cartridge101 is inserted into the cartridge holder 47 with a slight inclinationdue to wobbling within the cartridge holder 47 as shown by a one-dotphantom line in FIG. 13, the engagement tab 62 can be prevented fromescaping the concave portion 103. Thus, the engagement state between theengagement tab 62 and the concave portion 103 can be reliablymaintained.

The eject lever 58 includes, on the outer surface tip end portion sideof the extended plate portion 58c, erected a lock pin 64 that is engagedwith a lock member 67 which will be described later on. Further, theextended plate portion 58c includes a guide pin 65 implanted on theinner surface side. The guide pin 65 is engaged with the rectangularguide opening 66 bored through the right side plate portion 47c of thecartridge holder 47 and is thereby guided so that the lock pin 64 isaccurately opposed to and engaged with the lock member 67.

The lock member 67 is pivotally supported by a shaft pin 68 to the rearend portion of the right side plate portion 47c of the cartridge holder47. The lock member 67 includes on its tip end portion a tab portion 67athat is engaged with the lock pin 64 of the eject lever 58.

The shaft pin 68 to which the lock member 67 is pivotally supportedincludes a torsion coil spring 69 mounted thereon. One end portion ofthe torsion coil spring 69 is engaged with the cartridge holder 47 sideand the other end portion thereof is engaged with the lock member 67side. Thus, the lock member 67 is constantly biased in the clockwisedirection in FIG. 12 under spring force of the torsion coil spring 69.

The lock member 67 is locked at a predetermined rotational position,i.e., at the position in which the tab portion 67a is opposed to thelock pin 64 of the eject lever 58 when a part of the projected portion67b comes in contact with a stopper projection 70 projected toward thecartridge holder 47 side.

The lock member 67 includes an operation member 67c that is used torelease engagement between the lock member 67 and the lock pin 64. Alock releasing mechanism for operating the operation member 67c isdisposed on the mechanical chassis 41 side.

The lock releasing mechanism, of a so-called ratchet mechanism, asdescribed below, releases engagement between the lock member 67 and thelock pin 64 by using the rotational operation of the cartridge holder47.

In association with the lock member 67 of the cartridge holder 47 side,the mechanical chassis 41 includes a vertical wall 71 implanted intab-shape in an opposing relation to the right side wall plate portion47c of the cartridge holder 47. The vertical wall 71 includes a ratchetmember 72 forming the ratchet mechanism pivotally supported thereto by ashaft pin 73. The ratchet member 72 includes on its one portion providedan action tab 72a opposing the operation member 67a of the lock member67 and also includes on the other end portion thereof a stopperprojection 72b.

A torsion coil spring 74 is attached to the shaft pin 73 to which theratchet member 72 is pivotally supported. One end portion of the torsioncoil spring 74 is engaged with the vertical wall 71 side and the otherend portion thereof is engaged with the ratchet member 72 side. Theratchet member 72 is biased in the opposite direction of the lock member67, i.e., in the counter-clockwise direction shown in FIG. 12 under thespring force of the torsion coil spring 74. The ratchet member 72 islocked at a predetermined rotational position, i.e., at the position inwhich the action tab 72a is opposed to the operation member 67c of thelock member 67 when the stopper member 72b comes in contact with theupper edge portion of the vertical wall 71.

The vertical wall 71 to which the ratchet member 72 is attached isinclined and bent such that a front portion 71a is opened toward theoutside. Thus, the vertical wall 71 functions as a guide wall which cansmoothly guide the eject lever 58 when the disc cartridge 101 isinserted into the cartridge holder 47.

Operation of the eject mechanism thus arranged will be described indetail below.

Initially, as shown in FIG. 14, when the disc cartridge 101 is insertedinto the cartridge holder 47 under the condition that the cartridgeholder 47 is elevated relative to the mechanical chassis 41, i.e., underthe condition that the upper lid 12 is open, the engagement tab 62 ofthe eject lever 58 is engaged with the concave portion 103 of the sideportion of the disc cartridge 101. As a result, the eject lever 58 ismoved rearwardly in unison with the disc cartridge 101 against thespring force of the tension coil spring 61 at the same time when thedisc cartridge 101 is moved.

At that time, engagement between the engagement tab 62 and the concaveportion 103 is reliably maintained because the engagement tab 62 of theeject lever 58 includes the undercut portion 62a as described above. Asa consequence, even when the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into thecartridge holder 47 with a small wobble, the engagement tab 62 can beprevented from being disengaged from the concave portion 103.

The resilient plate portion 58b of the eject lever 58 is guided by thevertical wall 71 of the lock releasing mechanism portion, therebypreventing the engagement tab 62 from being disengaged from the concaveportion 103. Therefore, the eject lever 58 can reliably be moved inunison with the disc cartridge 101.

When the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the deepest portion of thecartridge holder 47 completely, as shown in FIG. 15, the lock pin 64 ofthe eject lever 58 is engaged with the tab portion 67a of the lockmember 67, thereby locking the eject lever 58.

Engagement operation between the lock pin 64 and the lock member 67 willbe described in more detail below.

Initially, when the eject lever 58 is moved in the rearward direction,the lock pin 64 contacts with and presses the tip end portion of theinclined edge of the tab portion 67a of the lock member 67. The lockmember 67 is rotated by the pressing force of the lock pin 64 downwardlyagainst the spring force of the torsion coil spring 69. Then, when thelock pin 64 passes the tab portion 67a, the lock member 67 is returnedto the original position under spring force of the torsion coil spring69, whereby the lock pin 64 is engaged with the tab portion 67a. Thus,the eject lever 58 is locked.

Then, the cartridge holder 47 is rotated in the lower direction byclosing the upper lid 12 (from the state that the eject lever 58 islocked after the disc cartridge 101 is inserted into the cartridgeholder 47 completely) when the disc cartridge 101 is loaded onto thedisc cartridge loading portion provided on the mechanical chassis 41, asshown in FIG. 16, the operation member 67c of the lock member 67 passesthe action tab 72a of the ratchet member 72 and placed under the actiontab 72a.

The operation member 67c of the lock member 67 passes the action tab 72aof the ratchet member 72 as follows.

Because the lock member 67 is restricted by the stopper member 70 fromrotating in the clockwise direction, the operation member 67c contactswith and presses the operation tab 72a of the ratchet member 72. By thepressing force of the operation member 67c, the ratchet member 72 isrotated in the clockwise direction, i.e., in the direction in which theaction tab 72a is escaped from the operation member 67c of the lockmember 67 against the spring force of the torsion coil spring 74. As aresult, the operation member 67c of the lock member 67 passes the actiontab 72a of the ratchet member 72.

When the cartridge holder 47 is rotated in the upper direction after theupper lid 12 was opened from this state as shown in FIG. 17, the ratchetmember 72 is restricted by the stopper member 72b from rotating in thecounter-clockwise direction. Therefore, when the operation member 67c ofthe lock member 67 comes in contact with the action tab 72a of theratchet member 72, the lock member 67 is rotated in thecounter-clockwise direction relatively to the cartridge holder 47against the spring force of the torsion coil spring 69.

Specifically, when the operation member 67c of the lock member 67contacts with the action tab 72a of the ratchet member 72, the lockmember 67 is left as it is while the cartridge holder 47 is rotated inthe upper direction. Thus, the lock pin 64 is disengaged from the tabportion 67a of the lock member 67 and the lock member 67 is releasedfrom the locked state, whereby the eject lever 58 is moved in theforward direction and returned to the original position under springforce of the tension coil spring 61. As a result, the disc cartridge 101is ejected from the cartridge holder 47 by the eject lever 58.

When the cartridge holder 47 is elevated up to the uppermost rotationalposition after the upper lid 12 was opened completely, the operationmember 67c of the lock member 67 passes the action tab 72a of theratchet member 72 so that the lock member 67 is returned to the originalstate.

The disc cartridge 101 is ejected from the cartridge holder 47 at thesame time when the upper lid 12 is opened as described above. Therefore,the user can remove the disc cartridge 101 from the cartridge holder 47with ease.

While the disc cartridge has been described so far with an optical discaccommodated therein as the recording medium, the present invention isnot limited thereto, and may be applied to an eject mechanism of a tapecassette in which a magnetic tape is accommodated as a recording mediumin the disc cartridge.

Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention with referenceto the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to that precise embodiment and that various changes andmodifications could be effected therein by one skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A recording and/or reproducing apparatus using acartridge accommodating therein a recording medium, comprising:a basemember having a recording medium recording and/or reproducing portiondisposed thereon; a cartridge holder attached to said base member beingrotatable between a first position and a second position lower than saidfirst position, said cartridge holder for loading a cartridge andholding said cartridge inserted therein, and said cartridge holderincluding a major wall portion of substantially square configuration, apair of side wall portions formed along a pair of opposed sides of saidmajor wall portion and a pair of holding portions projected from saidpair of side wall portions into said cartridge holder parallel to saidmajor wall portion and holding said cartridge inserted thereto; an ejectlever engaged with said cartridge inserted into said cartridge holderand moved in unison with said inserted cartridge; a lock mechanism forrestricting said eject lever from moving in a disc cartridge ejectdirection when said cartridge is inserted into said cartridge holder,and releasing said restriction on movement of said eject lever in saiddisc cartridge eject direction when said cartridge holder is rotatedfrom said second position to said first position, wherein said ejectlever is attached to one of said pair of side wall portions of saidcartridge holder such that said eject lever is freely movable along adirection in which said cartridge is inserted into and ejected from saidcartridge holder, and said lock mechanism is disposed on one of saidpair of side wall portions along a side wall to which said eject leveris attached; and said lock mechanism comprising a lock member engagedwith said eject lever for restricting said eject lever from moving tosaid disc cartridge eject direction at the position in which saidcartridge is fully inserted into said cartridge holder, and a releasingmember for releasing said eject lever and said lock member fromengagement done by said lock member when said cartridge holder isrotated from said second position to said first position; wherein saidreleasing member is rotatably attached to said base member and includesan engagement portion which is engaged with an engaged portion of saidlock member when said cartridge holder is rotated from said firstposition to said second position to facilitate release of the lockingmember.